Posters

Swetta Abeyta; Nataly Blas; Theresa Huff; John Jackson; Jessea Young; Karna Younger

Posters

Explore the OER California Poster Series and choose your favorites to customize for displays, outreach, events, and campus awareness campaigns. (Flip through the templates by selecting the arrows above, hover to view the name each template, or select the four arrows at top right to see the full screen. Scroll down to access the t emplates.)

Introduction

“The soul never thinks without a picture.” — Aristotle

Posters can do a lot of work in a shared space. They can introduce a project, set a tone, make ideas visible, and help people understand what OERs are and why they matter. These OER posters were designed to do exactly that: create a strong visual anchor for open education outreach while also reflecting the landscapes, colors, and spirit of California’s national parks.

Below you will find the full poster set, ideas for how to use the posters, real examples of poster-based OER outreach, and guidance for adapting the designs for your own campus.

Ideas for Use

These posters can be used in many different ways across campuses and programs. Here are a few simple ways to use them:

Display them at library tables and service desks, OER events, faculty showcases, or Open Education Week activities.
Hang them in libraries, centers for teaching and learning, faculty offices, hallways, or other shared campus spaces.
Add QR codes linked to campus OER websites.
Pair them with postcards, buttons, stickers, or magnets as part of a larger OER awareness campaign.
Adapt the artwork, slogans, or regional themes for local OER initiatives, events, or campus branding.

Inspirations

Here are two real examples of posters being used in OER and textbook affordability outreach.

Faculty/Staff Example: Clackamas Community College

Who did it: Clackamas Community College

What they did: As part of a faculty gratitude campaign, Clackamas Community College created and shared thank-you letters, posters, stickers, and an infographic to recognize faculty who had adopted OER and to encourage them to display their OER champion status publicly.

Why it worked: The posters were part of a broader gratitude campaign that both celebrated faculty already using OER and made that work more visible to others across campus. It turned recognition into a marketing strategy.

How to adapt this poster set:

- Add your campus logo, program name, or a short message celebrating faculty who create, adapt, or adopt OER.
- Display a poster in a faculty office, department space, library, or teaching center to recognize OER champions.
- Pair the poster with a thank-you note, certificate, sticker, or small recognition item as part of a broader faculty appreciation or OER visibility campaign.

Student Example: Lane Community College

Who did it: Lane Community College

What they did: Lane Community College created a student-focused media campaign about the “astronomical” cost of traditional textbooks that included adaptable 11″ × 17″ posters, along with postcards and web images, to promote OER and low- or no-cost course materials.

Why it worked: The campaign used a strong visual theme and student-facing message to make textbook affordability easy to understand. Openly shared native and print-ready files also made it easier for others to reuse and adapt the materials.

How to adapt it with this poster set:

- Choose a short, memorable slogan that helps connect OER with your campus priorities, such as affordability and access.
- Add a QR code or link to your campus OER webpage, guide, or faculty support program.
- Use one poster as a student-facing awareness piece during Open Education Week, tabling, or textbook affordability campaigns.

Quick Tips for Poster Messaging

Keep the purpose clear. Decide whether the poster is meant to introduce OER, celebrate participation, support an event, or anchor a larger display.
Design for distance. Posters should be readable from several feet away, with a clear title, strong contrast, and a simple visual hierarchy.
Use them as part of a set. Posters often work best when paired with a QR code, table materials, handouts, or small giveaway items.
Match the poster to the space. A library display poster may need more explanation, while an event poster may work best with a shorter message and stronger visual hook.
Let the artwork do some of the work. Posters can create mood and identity as well as convey information.

Guidance and Templates

View the video or select the arrows to read the steps for customizing your poster.

Get the templates

Poster Template in Canva

screenshot of forest OER poster with View template text highlighted — Select the Canva template link and then select **View template.**

Select a poster design from the Canva link below to open the editable template (all three template designs are included in the template link). The templates are free to use and adapt, but you’ll need to create and sign in to a free Canva account to customize and download your poster. To begin using the template, select View template. Once you sign in to your account, you may then be prompted to Open in Editor.

- California-themed poster templates

Need more options for adapting your asset template?

Once you’ve created your free Canva account and signed in, you can open the Growing Your OER Starter Kit alongside any asset template to copy and paste colors, graphics, icons, photos, and design elements to help your version stay within the OER-California branding theme.

Customize your poster

Step 1. Open your template in Canva and decide how you want to use it.

Use the Canva links above to open your poster design. You’ll access the template in Canva first, then choose what you want to do next:

- - Customize it
  - Keep it as-is and just download it (skip to Step 2)

The tagline text is editable in Canva. Feel free to change it to match your purpose. Here are some suggested taglines:

- - Explore Freely.
  - Stay Golden, Go Open.
  - Open Education Blooms Here.
  - Clear Skies. Open Education
  - Rooted in the Open.

You can also open the Growing Your OER Starter Kit in Canva to copy in colors, fonts, icons, and other design elements from the OER-California theme to further customize your poster.

Posters often work best when the artwork is strong enough to stand alone, but the text is focused enough to guide attention quickly. If you are adapting the poster template in Canva,

Three adaptions of an OER poster with northern California evergreen trees and ferns in shadowed forest scene — The OER poster template on the left has been adapted in two ways – first, as a promotional tool for a new OER with QR code for access (middle) and second as an OER awareness tool with an OER definition (right).

think about where and how the poster will be used. For example:

- - A hallway or library poster may need a bold title and minimal text
  - A display poster may be paired with handouts, photos, or course spotlights
  - An event poster may need a call to action, date, time, or QR code

Need a QR code? You can create one with H5P KewAr Code if you want a free, open-source option, or with Canva’s QR Code tool if you are already editing the sticker in Canva.

Step 2. Download your poster.

When you’re ready to print, download your poster from Canva. To download, select the Share button at the top right of the screen [1] and then select Download [2].

From the File type drop-down menu, select PNG [3].

From the Select pages drop-down menu [4], select the page or pages of the posters you wish to download.

Then, select Download [5], and your file will be downloaded to your device.

Step 3 Print the poster.

Once you have downloaded your poster, choose whether you want to print it yourself or send it to a campus or commercial printer.

Option A. Print your poster on a personal printer.

If you want to print the poster yourself, first check what paper sizes your printer supports. Most home and office printers can print on 8.5″ x 11″ letter paper, and some can also print on larger sizes such as 11″ × 17″ or tabloid.

If your printer cannot print the full poster size, you still have a few options:

- - Print a smaller version of the poster
  - Use the file as a draft or proof before sending it to a larger printer

Before printing:

1. 1. Print one test page first to check the layout, colors, and readability.
  2. If you are reducing the size, check that important details still stand out clearly.

When you are ready to print:

1. 1. Open the file and select Print.
  2. Set the paper size to match the paper you are using.
  3. Choose Color printing.
  4. Choose Best or High Quality print settings.
  5. In the paper settings, choose the closest match to your paper, such as:
    - Plain paper
    - Matte presentation paper
    - Glossy presentation paper
    - Heavy paper

If you are printing a smaller version on your personal printer, a heavier paper or presentation paper will usually give you a better result than standard copy paper.

Option B. Send the poster to a campus or commercial printer.

If you want a larger or more polished poster, sending it to a campus print shop or commercial printer is usually the easiest option. When you send the file, include these details:

- - Size: 18″ × 24″
  - Alternate size: 24″ × 36″
  - Orientation: vertical
  - Print in full color
  - Paper preference: matte paper, about 200–250 gsm
  - Quantity: how many posters you want
  - File type: PNG (If the printer prefers a PDF or another file type, you can go back into Canva and download the required file type.)

License

Icon for the CC0 (Creative Commons Zero) license

To the extent possible under law, Swetta Abeyta; Nataly Blas; Theresa Huff; John Jackson; Jessea Young; and Karna Younger have waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to Growing Your OER Program, except where otherwise noted.